A Wolf Called Wander (A Voice of the Wilderness Novel) - Hardcover

Parry, Rosanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062895931 ISBN 13: 9780062895936

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2019

Synopsis

A New York Times bestseller! “Don’t miss this dazzling tour de force.”—Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal winning author of The One and Only Ivan

This gripping novel about survival and family is based on the real story of one wolf’s incredible journey to find a safe place to call home. Illustrated throughout, this irresistible tale by award-winning author Rosanne Parry is for fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan.

Swift, a young wolf cub, lives with his pack in the mountains learning to hunt, competing with his brothers and sisters for hierarchy, and watching over a new litter of cubs. Then a rival pack attacks, and Swift and his family scatter.

Alone and scared, Swift must flee and find a new home. His journey takes him a remarkable one thousand miles across the Pacific Northwest. The trip is full of peril, and Swift encounters forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before he finds his new home.

Inspired by the extraordinary true story of a wolf named OR-7 (or Journey), this irresistible tale of survival invites readers to experience and imagine what it would be like to be one of the most misunderstood animals on earth. This gripping and appealing novel about family, courage, loyalty, and the natural world is for fans of Fred Gipson’s Old Yeller and Katherine Applegate’s Endling.

Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout and a map as well as information about the real wolf who inspired the novel.

Plus don't miss Rosanne Parry's stand-alone companion novel, A Whale of the Wild.

About this title

About the Authors

Rosanne Parry is the author of the bestselling novels A Wolf Called Wander, A Whale of the Wild, and A Horse Named Sky as well as The Wolf Effect, a picture book illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. These “Voice of the Wilderness” stories center the voices of wild animals and focus on their struggle to survive in a dangerous and changing world. Based on rigorous research and inspired by the real animals of the western United States, Rosanne’s books are treasured by teachers and librarians and adored by animal-loving readers of all ages. The author lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, and writes in a treehouse in her backyard. 

Mónica Armiño is an illustrator, character designer, and background artist. She is the illustrator of Rosanne Parry’s animal adventure novels A Wolf Called Wander and A Wolf Called Fire. The artist lives in Madrid, Spain.

From the Back Cover

I have a brother. Sharp. Bigger than me, and all growl. I have sisters. Pounce, who loves to wrestle, and Wag, who talks with her tail. And best of all, my brother Warm, who likes to curl up under my chin, the only pup smaller than me.

 Swift, a wild wolf cub, lives with his pack in the mountains. When a rival pack attacks, Swift and his family scatter, and Swift sets out on an incredible journey through dense forests, into barren wilderness, and across flowing water. The trip is dangerous and full of peril, and Swift encounters fire, hunger, hunters, and highways as he wanders. Will Swift find the courage to survive? Will he ever find a place to call home?

A Wolf Called Wander is based on the extraordinary true story of a wolf named OR-7 (and often called Journey)—a wild wolf who traveled a remarkable 1,000 miles across the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

Gr 4-6-Swift, a yearling wolf, is separated from his family after a rival wolf pack attacks and claims his family's territory as their own. His thousand-mile journey across the Pacific Northwest to find a new home brings danger, hunger, and desperate loneliness. Inspired by the story of OR-7, a real wolf naturalists tracked in the wild, Parry perfectly conveys her character's curious, alert, and social nature. Swift's successes and failures throughout his travels shape a relatable bildungsroman theme. His symbiotic relationship with a raven will delight and intrigue readers, just one example of the abundant information about wolves Parry seamlessly incorporates into this page-turning narrative. Generously illustrated, Armiño's spot and full-page black-and-white drawings capture the landscape's stark beauty from the fragility of a bumblebee in flight to the ferocity of an animal attack. The novel's grim yet blunted depiction of life and death in nature, along with an upbeat ending in which Swift gives himself a new name, make it an ideal middle grade read. The novel would also function well as the fictional component in a classroom lesson about wolves, as the gripping story-and extensive back matter-will inspire students to learn more about the real OR-7. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries; deserving of a place alongside Sheila Burnford's The Incredible Journey, Jack London's White Fang, and other classic animal adventure novels.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0062895931
• ISBN 13: 9780062895936
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256
• Illustrator: Armiño Mónica